Breaking All The Rules
by WeDon'tGoNowhereWithoutToast
Summary: The phrase "Like mother, like daughter" could never be truer to Gabriel Gray as he struggles to keep up with his teenage daughter Elizabeth. I do not own Heroes, If I did Sylar would still be good, Claire would love him and Noah would be eating waffles
1. She's Breaking All The Rules

Elizabeth Bennett pushed the window up as carefully as she could. With practiced ease the teenager slid into her bedroom. The darkness was illuminated dimly by the outside street light but she managed to place her bag silently on her desk and walk across the room without tripping over something. Her co-ordination, or lack thereof, had always been a hindrance to Elizabeth. She never caught a ball in games, was always last to be picked in Football and never made the cheerleading squad.

"Being a cheerleader isn't all glitz and glamour Elle," her mother would say over dinner.

"Like you would know," Elizabeth would mutter twirling her pasta uninterested with her fork. Her mother was a straight A student all throughout high school and college with no friends to speak of. She'd probably never even tried to be popular, let alone a cheerleader. .

"Do you have _any_ idea what time it is?" Her father sat on her desk chair, his eyes analysed her clothing, questioning, calculating like they always did. A shadow covered half his face, cast by the dark mess of hair that had fallen forward. He was fully dressed, still had his shoes. It meant that he had been waiting for her ever since he came in. Her throat tightened uncomfortably and her heart thumped against her ribcage. She had been caught. Most important rule - Make the damage seem small.

"It's late," his voice deepened dangerously. She was in trouble.

"It's only one thirty,"

"That's three hours after your curfew,"

"Only just,"

"Where were you?"

"At a small party"

"That's what, not where."

"At Sasha's,"

"Who were you with?"

"Sasha and a few friends,"

"Like?"

"...Michael."

The muscle under his eye twitched. He walked to the doorway. Elizabeth looked up at him and waited for her sentence.

"A month,"

"What!? You can't keep me in the house for a month! Prom's two weeks away!"

He looked at her, hand tight around the doorknob.

"A _month_," he shut the door firmly and she heard him walk down the hallway.

Too angry to sleep she jerked her laptop open and signed online. Sasha was still on.

**~Ellectric~**_ signed online _

**BabySash**: Heya

**~Ellectric~****: **_(angry smiley)_

**BabySash: **What's up?

**~Ellectric~****: **Parent's caught me

**BabySash: **Lol (tongue smiley)

**~Ellectric~****: **No, not lol. I'm grounded for a month.

**BabySash: **A month? But prom's in like two weeks.

**~Ellectric~****: **I know!

**BabySash**: Wow that's harsh Elle. Your parents are really strict.

**~Ellectric~****: **Tell me about it, god just because they were boring in high school doesn't mean they have to ruin my life

**BabySash**: Lol! Totally, but missing prom won't ruin your life. It'll just be like missing a once in a lifetime opportunity. That's all.

**~Ellectric~****: **Thanks

**BabySash**: No Problem

**~Ellectric~****: **I was being sarcastic

**BabySash**: I know...so was I

**~Ellectric~****: **I have to go; I think my parents can hear me typing.

**BabySash**: Aw, don't go yet, we still have to talk about the party.

**~Ellectric~****: **Sash if I'm caught I'm in serious trouble, really I gotta go.

**BabySash**: Michael talked about you

**~Ellectric~****: **I can risk it. What did he say?

**BabySash**: He likes you but he doesn't know you that well yet and your dad's eyebrows creep him out.

**~Ellectric~****:** What?

**BabySash**: Even you have to admit they're not normal

**~Ellectric~****: **They're not that bad.

**BabySash**: You're probably immune.

**~Ellectric~****: **Stop talking about them as if they're some sort of disease.

**BabySash**: Lmao! ...Just out of interest, how old is your dad? And your mum? They look really young.

**~Ellectric~:**I don't know, they're just lucky I suppose. We don't talk about age or anything like that.

**BabySash: **Your dad looks a lot older, no offense or anything.

**~Ellectric: **None taken, like I said they don't talk about it.

**BabySash:** They're really cute together.

**~Ellectric~:** Sash, they're my parents ew.

**BabySash: **I'm just saying.

**~Ellectric~: **Yeah inappropriate much.

**BabySash:** Back to Michael

**~Ellectric~:** Oh crap!

**BabySash: **Parents got you?

**Ellectric~: **No, I left my phone at the club

**BabySash:** Elle! They chuck stuff if people don't claim it!

**~Ellectric~:** Shit, I can't tell my parents, they'd kill me if they knew I'd been to a club

**BabySash: **What did you tell them?

**~Ellectric~: **That it was a small party round yours.

**BabySash: **Shit, what are you gonna do?

**~Ellectric~: **I'm gonna have to get it back.

Claire Bennett sighed as she watched her husband massage his temples by the doorway. She pulled back the covers, inviting him to return but he ignored her and instead chose to focus on his daughters furious typing. She switched the side light on and picked up his glasses from the counter.

"Here," the glasses flew gently from her hand into his own and were promptly settled on the bridge of his nose. He rubbed his eyes and returned to the bed, grateful for plain eyesight once again.

"How long this time?"

"A month"

"Gabriel,"

"She has to learn Claire, she just can't go out at night; it's incredibly dangerous."

Hugging his back she pressed a gentle kiss on his shoulder blades.

"I know you're worried, but she's fifteen now, I think we have to loosen our grip a little."

He turned to face her.

"Your right, she's a sensible girl, it's a safe street. No sign of the government, or your family," his eyebrows raised in mock joy "Oh look, our good friend Chlamydia."

Claire groaned and hung her head against his chest.

"Gabriel, we've been over this. Elle isn't active,"

He recoiled, "Not a conversation I want, ever."

It was her turn to roll over, "I'm just saying, be a little softer. If you're too harsh you'll push her away from you and she'll end up breaking all the rules."

Smiling into her hair he pulled her closer.

"I suppose your father found out the hard way."

"In my case, breaking all the rules wasn't so bad."

THWACK

"Shit!"

Both Gabriel and Claire were still, their daughter had walked into the door again. A stream of swear words told them it was nothing serious and they both relaxed into each other. After a few minutes the gentle rise and fall of her chest told him that his wife was asleep. Gabriel heard his daughter creak her door open at her second attempt at silently escaping her bedroom. He listened to her padding to the bathroom, wash her hands, just in case, and proceed to open the window.

"Claire,"

"Mm,"

"She's breaking all the rules,"


	2. The New Topic

"Have you seen this new topic?"

Sasha sat with her knees against the desk furiously flicking through her textbook.

"Mm?" Elle glanced up from her own. She sat next to her friend twirling a pencil between two fingers; if she was honest she wasn't really paying attention to the lesson. Her father had extended her grounding to three months after catching her in the bathroom. She couldn't understand how he had _known, _she had been so quiet.

"Evolved humans," Sasha slammed her book on the desk "It's complete bull!"

"You don't think they're real?" Elle chewed the end of her pencil.

"Of course they're real Elle, I mean have you seen the shit they're planning to cram down our throats about it!"

Kay joined the conversation as she sat with a flick of her hair.

"The government's just trying to protect us from them; they're a threat to our society."

"Shut up Kay, they're human beings not communists!"

"Alright class, you won't need your books for this," The teacher cut the lights "If everyone could make sure they can see the screen."

A picture of DNA came up.

"As we all know, evolution is happening all the time; it seems that the rate of evolution in some humans however is significantly quicker than the rest of the population."

Kay's hand shot up in the darkness casting a shadow on the slideshow.

"All questions and complaints at the end, _please _Kay, we are, for the sake of this subject, taking evolution over God's word," her arm slowly, grudgingly descended, "Thank you, now continuing, some evolved humans pose a threat to the rest of us when they decide to use their acquired features or "powers" for their own gain."

Sasha let out an agitated sigh of disgust.

"Many years ago, a group of evolved humans threatened to blow up New York city and, since then, there have been similar incidents across the world of carnage and terror involving evolved humans."

The slideshow moved onto massacred villages, cities in ruin and some rather gruesome shots of people with what looked like their head sawed off. Elle shivered.

"Scientists have found a gene within evolved humans which proves that they are more primitive and aggressive than we are. It seems that through gaining their "powers" they lose their sophistication and intellect."

Sasha snapped her pencil.

"And it is for that reason that they are given their own areas so that they may live without the anger and prejudice from the rest of the world."

Sasha's chair clattered to the floor as she shot up.

"You mean that they're rounded up, tagged and herded into an isolated pen like _animals_!"

"Miss Tate, we will have a discussion on what the media seems to have been feeding you at the end of the slideshow. So please return to your seat." It wasn't a request. Sasha reluctantly sank back to her chair. Elle offered a sympathetic shoulder squeeze.

"Now, we are fortunate enough to have some previously unreleased footage on what we believe to be one of the first public sightings of evolved humans and what they are capable of doing."

The computer whirred as the clip started. It was a dark school hallway, lockers spread on either side. The source was a security camera Elle judged, the image was black and white and the angle was awkward as if it were filmed from the top corner in the hallway. A young cheerleader frantically ran towards the camera. She ran out of sight but soon after lockers began tearing themselves from the wall and flew after her. A few gasps escaped around the room. The clip stopped.

"As you can see, incredibly dangerous. A young girl was discovered dead with her skull split in two afterwards."

"Was it the same girl?" a small voice called from the back of the room.

"We don't think so," he glanced at the clock nervously "Anyway it seems we're out of time this session. We will discuss this next time, class dismissed." Hastily collecting his briefcase the teacher strode out of the class room. Elle twisted round to look at the time, they had ten minutes left. Sasha leaned back and exhaled slowly. Still angry it seemed.

"How much do you want to bet he'll be ill for next lesson?"

"It's a hard subject to teach, no one wants to do it. It's too controversial; too many people are against it. Some people deny the existence of evolved humans just to avoid the topic." Elle took her phone from her bag as it buzzed.

"Well,-" Kay was cut off.

"_Not-A- Word." _ Sasha leaned towards her dangerously. After a moment of silence she leaned over to Elle.

"Michael?"

"I wish, it's my dad. Ever since the club incident I've been on total lockdown. I can't sneeze without him analyzing it."

**Better be learning**

**-Dad **

**X**

"What have we got next?"

"Gym,"

"Joy,"

Everyone filed out of the classroom, Sasha continued her rant with Elle nodding and making the right noises in the right places. They reached the changing rooms without much hassle until Kay made another flippant remark at which Sasha promptly hi-fived her face.

Elle wished she could join in the drama that followed but she couldn't take her eyes from the lockers outside. There was something she couldn't shake. A sense of De-ja-vu.


	3. Serial Killer In The Family

Gabriel walked into the bathroom. Claire turned on her heels in the shower and smiled as he placed a hand on the steamed glass. She placed her palm against his and kissed the pane, leaving a lip shaped smear that faded. He watched the suds slither from her shoulders and merge with scarlet circles at the bottom. Droplets of blood streaked through the water running down the plug, his smile dropped.

"Claire,"

She put the stained razor back in its place and sighed.

"You need to stop worrying about that; it's just a daily routine,"

"Daily suicide,"

"It's to make sure my regeneration isn't weakening."

His fingers curled and he could feel his anger bubble to the surface.

"It's to see whether you can end it once and for-"

"Gabriel."

She pushed away from the glass.

"I need my escape; it's the same as me asking you to stop thinking about what Sylar did. It hurts; you do it because you need to know that this isn't a dream."

He was silenced and wounded, his brows furrowed as the floor became suddenly interesting. Claire slid the door open and pulled her husband inside. The water made his shirt cling to him instantly and the hot droplets that slid down the back of his collar made his hair stand on end. She kissed his chest and laid her head on him, clutching him in a hug.

"Knowing it isn't a dream is a good thing,"

"How so?" He leant against the tiles still holding her.

"It means you can't wake up,"

The ache scraped against Gabriel's ribcage, asking for her, begging. The hug, the fact that every possible part of their bodies were touching wasn't enough. They longed for each other and belonged together. His grip tightened and he pressed his forehead against hers longing, just longing. There was no sense, or sentence, or poem, love song or story. Just a word.

The front door downstairs banged and he removed himself from his wife's soaking embrace. Elle was in the kitchen pouring a glass of orange juice. She looked him up and down.

"Why are you so wet?"

"If you must know, I was about to join your mother in the shower,"

"Aw Dad! Ew, I don't want to know _that_!"

Gabriel chuckled as he poured himself a glass.

"It was about to get interesting before you interrupted us," Clair emerged from the hallway wrapped in a towel.

The teenager ducked under her mothers arm with her glass disgusted.

"You two are sick,"

"Come here baby!"

Claire giggled as he dragged her into his arms again.

"AH!" Elle bolted into the living room, slamming the door behind her.

"Oh we could have some fun with this one," Gabriel lightly kissed her lips.

"We could, but _you_, have to cook dinner." She kissed him back harder and disappeared upstairs.

It was over sausage and mash that the tape from Biology was brought into the conversation. Gabriel almost choked and a piece of food from Claire's fork slapped back onto her plate. Elle looked up.

"What?"

"N-nothing, just surprised they would show you...such a thing at school," she kicked her husband under the table.

"How about we go shopping tomorrow? All three of us."

"Me and you guys?"

"Yeah, how does that sound honey? We could get you a new dress for prom."

Gabriel frowned and Elle glanced between them.

"I thought I was grounded for prom..."

"Well, I was thinking...we could make a small exception, since it's your first one and all," Claire looked at Gabriel, long enough for it to mean something, and he sighed.

"All right, but you're grounding goes on as normal."

Elle jumped out of her chair and planted a clumsy kiss of gratitude on her fathers head.

"I'm gonna go tell Sasha right now!" They watched her run from the room and winced as they heard a crash.

"...I'm okay!"

Claire rested her head in her hands; Gabriel ran his fingers through his hair.

"What the hell are we going to do?"

"It's alright; I don't think she made a connection."

"Then why would she bring it up?"  
"I don't know, maybe she thought it was an interesting topic over dinner."

"Jesus Christ Claire, what if she puts it together?"

"Will you keep it down, she's only upstairs!" She began collecting plates.

"Should we move?"

"Again Gabriel? I'm not sure, we're finally settled here. Elle has good friends and her exams aren't too far away."

He slid further down into his chair. She paused before placing her hand against his cheek.

"We'll wait, see how it goes. If it's never mentioned again then we'll stay, if it gets out of hand we'll, well...we'll decide what to do if we get there." He looked up at her, waiting for approval.

"I think that's the best idea," Claire took the plates to the kitchen.

Gabriel removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He could hear Elle chatter excitedly to Sasha upstairs, there were a few squeals and giggles but then something came up that caught his interest.

"_Did you tell your parents about that video today?" _

"Yeah, it was really weird; they changed the topic and gave each other funny looks."

"_They might know someone with powers." _

"I don't know anyone like that though."

"_You might, they could be like a really close member of the family, __and you just don't know they're one of _them._ That happened with a girl across the road from a few years ago, her aunt could make people fall asleep by thinking about it and she never knew until, of course, the government took her away." _The last sentence was spat.

"Maybe, but I think I would know if we had a locker wielding serial killer in the family."

Both of the girls laughed and Gabriel sank onto the table groaning.


End file.
